Tchaikovsky: A Biography [Hardcover]

Anthony Holden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 1996

Written for the layman, this new biography of the world's most popular composer contains previously unrevealed material gathered from Russian files about his probable suicide at the age of 53 after being threatened with the exposure of his homosexuality. of photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

There have been biographies galore of the great Russian composer, beginning with the massive but highly selective one by his brother Modest, published less than a decade after Pyotr Ilyich's mysterious death in 1893. Holden's effort does not attempt to duplicate others in detail or in musicological insight. It is, rather, the work of a skilled journalist, author most recently of The Tarnished Crown: Crisis in the House of Windsor.The biography is well proportioned, clearly and often colorfully written and depends, as far as is possible a century later, on personal observation of places and re-checking of previous sources. It delves more deeply than most studies into Tchaikovsky's homosexuality?its causes, manifestations and profound effect upon his life?and offers a carefully reasoned examination of his death, in which Holden comes down tentatively in the recently propounded "Court of Honor" camp: the theory that the composer was offered by his old schoolmates a choice among suicide (made to look like a foolish accident), permanent exile or exposure of his sexual activities. Holden convincingly shows that Tchaikovsky lived in abject terror of such exposure all his life and failed to divorce his pathetic wife only because he feared she would "out" him. The bizarre relationship with Nadezhda von Meck, the wealthy widow who supported Tchaikovsky for much of his life, though they never met, is also tellingly set forth. This is an ideal first biography for readers who want more of the man than of the music. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Tchaikovsky (1840^-93) had a secret: he was homosexual. He could not live openly and be a public person, which produced a personal conflict that ultimately killed him. Holden concentrates on Tchaikovsky's feelings and relationships. He was a caring man who financially supported many friends and relatives when they were down. His sympathy for and failed relationships with women motivated him to write the Romeo and Juliet and Francesca da Rimini overtures, and his suffering over his isolation from society because of homosexuality found expression in his fourth and sixth symphonies and the opera Eugene Onegin. Death haunted him: his own mortality and the passings of close friends eventuated in some of his most expressive works, especially that sixth symphony, the Pathetique. In conclusion, Holden argues that Tchaikovsky's death was not from cholera, but a suicide by arsenic poisoning, committed on account of indiscretions with the Tsar's nephew. Holden certainly labors over establishing the conflict between Tchaikovsky's private and public personas, but his version of the composer's life seems most authentic. Alan Hirsch

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 490 pages
• Publisher: Random House (February 27, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679420061
• ISBN-13: 978-0679420064
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,048,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly successful bio, August 11, 2000

By 

Michael Squires ([e-mail]) (Blacksburg, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: A Biography (Hardcover)

A bold look at a difficult man. Tchaikovsky, terrified that his sexuality would become a topic of scandal, split his powerful sexual response between (a) male members of his family on whom he showered very intense affection and (b) young men, sometimes young boys, who were often rough-trade prostitutes. Anthony Holden offers a succinct, persuasive, well-written portrait. Although short on analysis of Tchaikovsky's music (the man was a genius at representing emotion), Holden is especially good at examining the composer's emotional relationships and the causes of his death: did he die of cholera or arsenic? by infection or suicide? If you like biographies of musicians, you'll love this one.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Biography That Reads Like a Thriller, November 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: A Biography (Hardcover)

Many kudos to Mr. Holden for this spectacular effort! This is what biography is to be! A careful reconstruction of a life, with logical extrapolation of missing points and a compelling analysis of historical inconsistencies in this unique figure. I especially appreciated the author's relative absence from the narrative (i.e., he was not telling us constantly how he felt about the facts of the biography). Gratefully, he did not editorialize about the biographies central issue: Tchaikovsky's homosexuality. The issue too often derails serious historical research, either to condemn or to convert to the cause. A sheer delight of a read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story telling, March 14, 2007

By 

Jennifer A. Brownell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: A Biography (Hardcover)

"The notion that one day people will try to probe into the private world of my thoughts and feelings...is very said and unpleasant." So said Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, one of the most famous composers of all time, in 1880. Fortunately for Tchaikovsky fans of today, Anthony Holden has done just that and has done it well. Tchaikovsky: A Biography (Random House, 1996) provides a laymen's view of the turbulent life of the ill-fated composer, approaching both the music and the man equally. Holden's analyses of prominent works do not, as most might fear, rely heavily on knowledge of musical theory, but stem mostly from events that took place in the composer's life at the time a work was written. Commentary on Tchaikovsky's personal life and anecdotal references are written humorously and with the kind of cleverness that comes with true enthusiasm for the subject. Holden uses, as much as possible, direct quotes from those who knew the composer best, working them into the text with a narrative style. The often told of and bizarre relationship that Tchaikovsky had with his long time benefactress Nadezhda von Meck, is also brought to light in great detail. Unlike many biographers, who believe that Meck withdrew financial support upon discovering the composer's homosexuality, Holden contends that Meck's assertions of financial ruin were in fact true, owing to blackmail from her son-in-law!

As with any biography of Tchaikovsky, the most intriguing moments come with the discussions of his homosexuality and his questionable death. Like a detective presenting a scenario, Holden writes the last two days of Tchaikovsky's life with the audience directly watching, "We find Tchaikovsky at the library, looking up a score..." He follows the detailed and highly questionable testimony of Tchaikovsky's brother, Modest, who was with him in the last few days of his death. On the question of death, Holden sides (tentatively) in the recently presented "court of honor" theory, which suggests that a handful of Tchaikovsky's fellow alumni gave him a three-prong ultimatum in censure for his homosexuality. Obsessively in fear of being "outed", Holden believes that the composer chose the last of the options and poisoned himself with arsenic rather than live in disgrace. Given the obvious problems with the testimony of Modest, Holden suggests that the composer's brother knew about the suicide and was covering it up for fear that the "court of honor" might turn on him (Modest was also homosexual).

In all, Anthony Holden's work is not just an excellent example of investigative history, but a wonderfully told story tarnished only by the unfortunate end of its main subject.